We have reached the final episode of Feud: Capote Vs. The Swans and it was an interesting way to close out season two. Interesting in the sense that we enjoyed some things, but there were also things we felt could have been done differently with this final episode.
The year is 1984, and as the opening indicates, it is “The year of Truman Capotes’ death.” You may be thinking, wait, didn’t we do this with Feud: Capote Vs. The Swans 2×07: “Beautiful Babe”? Well, yes and no. As we told you, though the episode did link Truman and Babe’s deaths together in one episode, the two did not pass away in the same year. The theme of Feud: Capote Vs. The Swans 2×08: “Phantasm Forgiveness” is, you guessed it, forgiveness.
Truman spends the entire episode seeking a redemption of sorts. He’s hoping to get forgiveness for what he wrote with La Côte Basque, 1965. He goes to see Jack, who lives happily with his boyfriend Nick. There, he tells him that he plans to finish his book Answered Prayers to apologize to his swans for what he did. When he does sit down to write again, Truman spins a tale of fact and fiction all rolled into one. He’s essentially using the stories of those he knows, but just like La Côte Basque, 1965, he changed the names of the characters.
As he writes his story, Truman, AKA P.B. Jones, encounters each of his swans Kiki (C.Z. Guest), Lady Coolberg (Slim), and Lee, who, oddly, keeps her real name. In every encounter, he is making amends for what he did. He hears the ladies out. They get to vent their frustrations to him over his betrayal. It was interesting that Truman felt he could apologize not only in print but also by making up characters rather than facing the women in the real world. Maybe if he had apologized, their lives and relationships would have been different in the real world. Truman seems pleased with what he’s writing until the apparition, or rather the phantasm of his mother encourages him not only to drink and retake pills but also to fix his story and “Make it less fruity.”
Truman tries to continue writing with the tone of forgiveness with his swans, but the more he drinks and the longer he sees his mother, the more we begin to see darkness descend over his writing as he relives his troubled childhood. Truman’s mother insists that he tell her story. The story of “The black swan.” Try as we might, we cannot escape the past, even if we try to slip into worlds of make-believe. Truman is a writer, and this is something he knows all too well. Characters talk to the writer. Whether you want to listen or write it, every character demands that their story be told at some point. Truman doesn’t want to tell this story, though. In writing about the black swan, Truman is forced to tell the story of his mother’s suicide.
As Truman thinks about his mother, Ann Woodward, whom Truman first betrayed appears by his side. Only this time, there is no happiness, no forgiveness. Ann is Ann, and there is nothing Truman can do to change that. Ann points out that Truman was cruel to her because she reminded him of his mother. She forces Truman to face his wrongdoings and ultimately tells him the only thing he can do to truly absolve himself of what he did is never to release Answered Prayers. What it comes down to is the book or his soul.
In Ryan Murphy’s world, Truman destroys the manuscript for Answered Prayers by setting it on fire. As revealed at the end of the episode, the manuscript for Answered Prayers has never been found. So, we may never know what exactly happened to it. While we did enjoy Feud: Capote Vs. The Swans 2×08, “Phantasm Forgiveness,” felt like some of the events should have occurred in episode 2×07, “Beautiful Babe.” If we were going to end the series with Truman’s death, instead of linking his to Babes, they could have just dedicated episode 2×08, “Phantasm Forgiveness,” to that. Or episode 2×07, “Beautiful Babe,” could have just ended the series.
Overall, season two of Feud: Capote Vs. The Swans was very engaging from beginning to end. Every cast member delivered incredible performances, but my favorites were Tom Hollander and his portrayal of Truman because he did a fantastic job delivering all the layers of such a complicated man. Another favorite was Chloë Sevigny and her portrayal of C.Z. Guest. She was one of the women who was more relatable to me. She remained neutral throughout the entire thing, and she maintained a friendship with Truman despite everything.
We went into this series not knowing what the end would look like. We went back and forth on who’s side to be on, but honestly, we felt for everyone by the time we got to the last episode. Truman’s friendship with the swans meant a great deal to him, so we don’t know why he did what he did. And sadly, this was a moment that he, Babe, Lee, Slim, and C.Z. couldn’t return from. We know C.Z. remained neutral, but once La Côte Basque, 1965 was released, none of the relationships were as they once were. The message of Feud: Capote Vs. The Swans is clear, and that is never to betray your friends.
Other Thoughts
- “Everything’s frigid without you.”
- “People want to forgive and be forgiven.”
- “What stung was you lied… on purpose for profit. You cheapened the nuance of our lives.”
- Though she wasn’t heavily in every episode, Molly Ringwald’s performance as Truman’s friend Joanne Carson was played with such kindness, and I enjoyed her scenes.
- The auction scene was interesting, to say the least.
- If most of the Swans died prior to 2016, why were they all shown at the auction as ghosts?
- Someone really paid $45,000 for Truman’s ashes????
- Now that all is said and done, I admit I want to read a copy of Answered Prayers (if it exists).